Once Upon a Time in Vietnam

[Rangefinder]

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I'm new here and if I'm breaking any rules, I apologize.  I'll ask the moderators to remove anything that may offend.

 

In 1969, I arrived in South Vietnam and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division as a combat photographer.  These photos were taken with an Army issued M-2R:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In those days, I always used Tri-X and shot almost everything at 1/500th at f11 focused to infinity.

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stray cat]

An extraordinary insight into an extraordinary time - thank you rangefinder. These must bring with them some fairly complex thoughts and memories for you?

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[bscott]

Thanks for posting and I enjoyed viewing.  Post more if you still have them.

[stuny]

Michael -

 

Welcome to the Forum.  I look forward to seeing many more of your photos.

[Rangefinder]

An extraordinary insight into an extraordinary time - thank you rangefinder. These must bring with them some fairly complex thoughts and memories for you?

Thank you for the kind comment.  You're right, those were some extraordinary times, indeed.  Being a photographer, I could go anywhere in our area of operations.  Saigon was within that territory and, when going there for film resupply, I'd go by the Continental Hotel.  While there, I met a British photographer, Larry Burrows.  He was a real gentleman and I was sure sorry to learn of his death after I'd gone home.  I was lucky while there and met some of the finest people I've ever known.  I'm still in contact with some of them to this day.  Yes, the memories are still there but the ghosts no longer haunt.

 

Mike

[Robert M Poole]

Thanks for sharing. Think I'll dig out Vietnam Inc from the bookshelf. 

[Rangefinder]

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I dug around and found a few more Vietnam photos.  When I wasn't in the field, my buds and I would head down to An Lac to an orphanage run by Madame Vu Thi Ngai.  I was privileged to meet this fine humanitarian who had worked with Dr. Tom Dooley back in the '50s.  I also met an American there, Betty Tisdale, another humanitarian extraordinaire, who would travel back to the US raising funds for the orphanage.  In April of '75, Saigon was about to fall and Betty managed to secure a plane from none other than Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara.  She got 219 out.  The following photos I took and printed for Betty's fund raising efforts:

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More in the next post . . . . .

 

 

 

 

[Rangefinder]

This is Betty Tisdale opening the gate for us at An Lac:

 

 

 

I spent all the time I could at An Lac but it wasn't enough.  A few weeks after I took these photos, I was transferred up north and never returned to the orphanage.  In 2005, I reconnected with Betty and sent her some 40 photos from the negative I still have.  She returned to Vietnam to attend a reunion with the "kids" she had to leave behind.  She handed those photos out and told me they were the only photos those people had from their youth.

 

 

This is a photo of me and a little girl named Xin Mai:

 

This is Mai (white blouse) in 2005 at the site of the An Lac Orphanage:

 

 

Today, she owns a clothing store and has two daughters, on a merchandise manager for a department store, the other a physician. We correspond occasionally.  Betty Tisdale passed away last in 2014.  I was fortunate to attend a memorial for her at the Old Chapel at Arlington

 

Kodachrome memories.

 

Mike

[stray cat]

The power of photography... to keep alive the presence of these people (or at least to perpetuate the memory of them) and the times. Stunning work.

 

Thank you for the kind comment.  You're right, those were some extraordinary times, indeed.  Being a photographer, I could go anywhere in our area of operations.  Saigon was within that territory and, when going there for film resupply, I'd go by the Continental Hotel.  While there, I met a British photographer, Larry Burrows.  He was a real gentleman and I was sure sorry to learn of his death after I'd gone home.  I was lucky while there and met some of the finest people I've ever known.  I'm still in contact with some of them to this day.  Yes, the memories are still there but the ghosts no longer haunt.

 

Mike

 Thank you, Mike, for your thoughtful response and apologies for my tardy reply. I love what you said at the end there: the memories are still there but the ghosts no longer haunt. And to have had the opportunity to meet a great photographer in Larry Burrows... These are such powerful visions and memories, even to one whose experience of it was just through pictures and TV news reports.

[Rangefinder]

Stray Cat, thank you, again.  I appreciate your response.  You know, I was such a kid in those days.  I was on an op with an infantry unit when I ran low on film.  We had a news crew with us and one of their photographers gave me a few rolls of Tri-X.  We kind of bonded and he invited me to visit him in Saigon.  I went to the Continental Hotel where I knew lots of civilian news people stayed.  That's is where I met Larry.  I wanted to work for a news agency after completing my military commitment and mentioned that to him.  He gave me encouragement and introduced me to Horst Faas.  He said, "Come see me when you get out."  I know he was just being polite but, dang, I really wanted to do just that!  Anyway, I invited Larry to join me on an upcoming operation and he showed up!  He was with us for a couple of days and moved on.  That was the last I saw of him.  A long time ago . . . . . .

 

Mike

[Robert M Poole]

 

 

Stray Cat, thank you, again. I appreciate your response. You know, I was such a kid in those days. I was on an op with an infantry unit when I ran low on film. We had a news crew with us and one of their photographers gave me a few rolls of Tri-X. We kind of bonded and he invited me to visit him in Saigon. I went to the Continental Hotel where I knew lots of civilian news people stayed. That's is where I met Larry. I wanted to work for a news agency after completing my military commitment and mentioned that to him. He gave me encouragement and introduced me to Horst Faas. He said, "Come see me when you get out." I know he was just being polite but, dang, I really wanted to do just that! Anyway, I invited Larry to join me on an upcoming operation and he showed up! He was with us for a couple of days and moved on. That was the last I saw of him. A long time ago . . . . . .

 

Mike

Amazing pictures and an amazing story. Did you end up working in the news?

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

www.robertpoolephotography.com

[Rangefinder]

Robert, the advice Larry Burrows gave me was to complete my college degree, preferably in journalism, establish a portfolio and to call him when I'd done him.  As you probably know, he was killed a couple of years after our meeting in a helicopter crash during Operation Lam Son 719.  Well, I got that degree and, for a time, worked at a local TV station.  They hired me because they were thinking about sending a local team to Vietnam.  For about a year, I worked in their photo lab.  Anyway, life bloomed when my wife had our first daughter.  The dream went promptly to the back burner and I got a job.  Never lost my love for photography, though!

 

Mike

[StS]

This is an outstanding series, thank you for sharing.

 

Stefan

[Rangefinder]

This is an outstanding series, thank you for sharing.

 

Stefan

Thank you, Stefan.  I appreciate you viewing and taking time to comment.

 

Mike

[andybarton]

This is an outstanding series, thank you for sharing.

 

Stefan

 

Plus 1 from me too. 

[Robert M Poole]

Robert, the advice Larry Burrows gave me was to complete my college degree, preferably in journalism, establish a portfolio and to call him when I'd done him. As you probably know, he was killed a couple of years after our meeting in a helicopter crash during Operation Lam Son 719. Well, I got that degree and, for a time, worked at a local TV station. They hired me because they were thinking about sending a local team to Vietnam. For about a year, I worked in their photo lab. Anyway, life bloomed when my wife had our first daughter. The dream went promptly to the back burner and I got a job. Never lost my love for photography, though!

 

Mike

Thank you for sharing your story it sounds like you've lived in interesting times. I look forward to seeing what you can do with your new M!

 

www.robertpoolephotography.com

[pico]

Thanks so much for being there for the rest of us.

 

When Betty Tisdale's attempt to reach the Sec of the Army failed, she called his mother. That did the trick. Wow.

[Rangefinder]

Thanks so much for being there for the rest of us.

 

When Betty Tisdale's attempt to reach the Sec of the Army failed, she called his mother. That did the trick. Wow.

Pico, I'm very curious as to how you know that?  You are, sir, quite correct.

 

Mike

[Rangefinder]

Plus 1 from me too. 

You are most welcome. sir.

 

Thank you,

 

Mike

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[Robert M Poole]

Mike, you didn't happen to meet a chap called Gary Ayala over there did you? He's a friend of mine from another camera forum. I did a short interview with him for my website

 

 

https://robertpoolephotography.com/2016/02/04/in-conversation-with-gary-ayala/

 

www.robertpoolephotography.com

Edited December 31, 2016 by Robert M Poole